Tri-Kappa Labs
Chapter 4

I couldn't make any sense of what Quill had said to me before I fell into this darkness. Well, to be fair I can't make sense of anything right now, much less what Quill meant by the rabbit hole. All I've been doing for the past who knows how long is fall through this darkness like I'm in a bottomless pit or something. It's a weird sensation because I can't see us falling but I sure as heck can feel it. It would suck to have motion sickness right now.

Suddenly I hit a hard ground. I stood up and looked around me. Still pitch black but at least I am no longer falling. I looked around, trying to make sense of… well at this point really anything. Then I heard a voice. It's Quill's! I'm sure of it!

"Welcome Alice, to the rabbit hole!" The voice echoed throughout the darkness. I paused. That phrase again. What does it mean? "Please choose your partner." The voice then said. There was a flash of bright light and I found that there are three Pokemon around me now. To my right was a water type, Manaphy, in front of me was a fire type, Victini, and to my left was a grass type, Shaymin. I looked between the three as the voices boomed again, "Please choose your partner." I bent down and looked more closely at the three. Manaphy seemed a little bored by the whole charade. It didn't even look the slightest interested in my presence. Ok not picking that one. I shifted my gaze to Victini. This guy was like a little ball of energy. He couldn't seem to sit still, moving backwards, forwards, sideways, up, down, diagonal, and in directions that i don't have a name for. Too much energy would be hard for me to handle. Pass. That left Shaymin. I looked over at Shaymin and I could immediately tell she was right for me. Shaymin was very calm, looking happy to be here, bobbing back and forth, but not so much that she was going all over the place. I reached out and pet Shaymin. She let out a cry of joy and nuzzled up to my embrace. I picked Shaymin up and said,

"I pick Shaymin."

"So be it!" A light flashed again and the other two starters had disappeared. "Now let your adventure begin!" I felt myself falling again. Shaymin began to cry out as she was wrenched from my arms, my heavy body falling much faster than hers.

"Shaymin!" I yelled.

"Min!" She screamed back as she desperately tried to catch up to me. The darkness fell away replaced by a blue sky. Shaymin continued to scramble to catch up to me but I was unsure of what to do to help. So instead I flipped over so that I had my belly facing downward and focused on hitting the ground. We were about to land in a meadow of flowers in the middle of a forest. The flowers might cushion our falls but there was no guarantee. I decided to go for it anyway. I tucked myself into a ball and began to spin, hoping this would help break my fall.

I hit the ground hard and exploded from my ball state onto the ground, my back sore from where I landed on it. The flowers had helped some but not as much as I had hoped. I guess it was too much to wish for a soft landing. I felt something hit me in the chest and groaned. I opened my eyes and saw Shaymin curled into a ball of green fur on my chest. I reached out and pet her. She slowly came out of her ball form and chirped at me. I sat up, picked her up into my arms, and then stood up. I had no idea where I was but heck if that was going to stop me from wandering all over the place. I started into the forest without a second thought.

The forest was breathtaking. Light shimmered through the few openings in the trees to reach the deep green floor. The trees were tall, reaching towards the sky as if it were their lifeline, big long roots and branches shooting in every which direction. Leaves were plentiful on the branches and the trees looked plenty healthy. Flowers, bushes, and other plants decorated the floor, creating a dazzling sight as I walked through it all. It was as if I was walking through the Garden of Eden. However, my garden daydream was soon interrupted by a few shouts. Who could be angry in a place like this? I needed to find out.

I picked up the pace to a run and followed the sound of the shouts. I was met with another clearing, but this place was riddled with destruction not beauty. Scorch and evaporation markings scarred the flowers and ground across the meadow. Fires blazed in certain spots across the field, not spreading but certainly killing what it was placed upon. I searched the area for the cause of this destruction and found it in the certain of the clearing. There, an individual holding a trident had another individual on the ground, the weapon aimed at their neck.

The one holding the trident had long black hair with a crown on her (I assumed it was a her) head. She wore a long black and blue dress with white spots across the front. Her fingers were clutched tightly around the trident and anger burned in her blue eyes with a steady flame. She appeared to be an African American given the dark tone of her skin but that was all just a guess to me. Given her current rage I didn't think asking her would be the smartest idea.

The other figure was very different from the trident wielder. From the looks of it, this figure was male and… on fire? His legs had patches of flame on them, as did his chest. Or at least the clothes on them did. He had navy blue hair and his eyes were a bright orange, currently filled with fear and regret. He had on a navy blue hoodie that matched his hair with tan fur around the edge of the hood. His jeans and shirt were the same color as well, but his sneakers were the same tan as the fur on his hoodie. His skin was pale like that of a computer nerd's but he didn't seem like the type to sit behind a computer all day. Still, it was obvious, the boy was terrified.

"Now gijinka," the girl with the trident said, "I banish thee!" She raised up her trident to strike him.

"No!" I shouted. Shaymin jumped down from my arms and released an energy ball. It went flying faster than the eye could detect across the field to the girl, hitting square on the trident. The trident went flying from the girl's hands and stabbed into the ground several feet away. Both heads turned to look at Shaymin and I. Shaymin growled as the girl's expression turned from confusion to rage.

"How dare you!" She screamed, "I was about to execute the guilty! This is treason! For that, you must be punished." I then noticed a few light particles gathering around shaymin as the girl drew her hands together. She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate, a ball of water forming in front of her. I recognized that move. She was using Hydro Cannon. Well... crap. I began to back towards the forest line but Shaymin didn't follow.

"Shaymin. We need to go." I said. Shaymin didn't budge. She didn't even look at me. The glowing particles grew in size and number around Shaymin. "Shaymin. Come on!" I said louder this time. She shook her head this time and I didn't know what to do. The girl's eyes flew open and I ducked behind a tree for cover as the Hydro Cannon let loose. The ball of blue energy went flying straight for Shaymin. But then, just as I thought Shaymin was a goner, Shaymin released her own attack. A large beam of sunlight erupted from her, bursting through the Hydro Cannon and hitting the girl. She was sent flying into the nearby woods. I stood up from behind my tree and ran over to Shaymin. She burped and a cloud of smoke came out. Shaymin sighed with relief then looked at me with a smile plastered on her face.

"Min! Shaymin!" She said to me triumphantly. I couldn't help but smile at her as I picked Shaymin up.

"You're very strange. You know that?" I said to her. Shaymin just shrugged a little. I walked over to the boy, who was paralyzed with fear on the ground, and gazed at him. His eyes came into focus and he seemed to just be noticing me for the first time. His eyes scanned over me as he took Shaymin and I in. Finally he opened his mouth to speak.

"That was a Solar Beam attack right?" I frowned and looked at Shaymin. She nodded to answer his question. He rubbed his chin and seemed to contemplate Shaymin's answer. "Interesting. A human has tried to save me. That is very unusual. Unless..." The boy looked up at me. "Is this possibly your base test?" He asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked in reply.

"Your appearance is very dream-like. It is somewhat fuzzy looking. Almost like a hologram." He explained, "I have heard of it before but never seen it myself." His eyes suddenly filled with alarm. "Does that mean you have come to kill me?"

"Kill you?" I asked, the shock obvious in my voice. "Why on earth would you think I have come to kill you?" The boy swallowed roughly and nervousness entered his voice very quickly.

"When your kind come to take base tests, usually if they see a gijinka, they kill them. Usually they help those who attack us and befriend them." He explained quietly. I shook my head, appalled by the sight.

"I see no reason to kill you. Unless you have committed a crime worthy of it I don't believe you should die. That woman was a base user was she not?"

"Yes she was."

"And most base testers befriend the base users out here?"

"Yes."

"Well then. How about I don't do that and instead befriend you. Sound good to you?" The boy's eyes began to sparkle with joy and he nodded quickly.

"That would be great. Please. I don't want to die." I extended a hand to him and said,

"I am a defender of the defenseless not a killer of the innocent."

***

"That is very unusual." Dr. Mullins said. He scribbled something down on his clipboard as he watched the TV screen before him. The whole scene was being played on the TV screen for those in the room to watch. Currently, only Dr. Mullins and Quill were in the room to watch.

"I agree. Has this ever happened before?" Quill asked Dr. Mullins as he took the scene in.

"Not that I am aware of Quill. For most, that is their first gijinka kill. Usually the base user they befriend is a purebred, and the DNA base of that purebred determines what their fusion base will be." Dr. Mullins explained without looking back at Quill.

"I remember." Quill replied, "I befriended a Quilava base user." Dr. Mullins nodded. He watched as the gijinka took my hand and I helped him stand up. "Dr. Mullins, I have always wondered. How do you manage to transport our minds into the field?"

"That, Quill, is my little secret." He said, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

***

"So what is your name?" The gijinka, Shaymin, and I all walked through the calm forest. Shaymin currently rested in my left arm. I was carrying the trident in my right hand. I didn't really know how to use it but I felt better being armed with it just in case the others couldn't protect me. At least now I wasn't completely defenseless. The gijinka boy looked over at me, his confusion and curiosity having never left his eyes since the moment I helped his from his doom. He shrugged.

"I don't have one." I stopped walking and stared at him.

"You can't just not have a name." I protested. He shrugged again and said,

"At the Greek Riders, we didn't usually get names unless we're of a higher rank than where I was."

"What rank are you?"

"Were." He corrected, "I was a grunt. You have to be a Head Grunt or higher to have a name."

"I guess you can't go back to them given your use of past tense."

"I could, but I'm not." The boy sighed and looked towards the sky, "I never was very good at my job anyway and no one really liked me. I don't want to go back to a place where I wasn't appreciated, liked, or good at something. With you, I have friends and I can help protect you."

"That means you can have a name then." I concluded, "So go on, pick whatever name you like." The boy smiled a little and closed his eyes, thinking it over.

"I like the name Casey." He finally said. I smiled back at him.

"Well then, it is nice to meet you Casey. My name is Shayla and this is my partner Shaymin."

"Shaymin! Shay! Min! Min!" Shaymin said to him with excitement. Casey laughed and replied,

"Well thank you Shaymin but I should be thanking you. Without your solar beam I would surely be dead." Shaymin smiled and raised her head with an aura of arrogance around her. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh now look what you've done." I hesitated then frowned at Casey.

"Wait can you understand her?" I asked.

"Mm yes. Because gijinka are half pokemon, we can understand their language. The Roman Charioteers only have bases of Pokemon DNA in their body so they can't understand Pokemon. They just hear their calls instead of the actual words." Casey explained. This confused me even more.

"But I can understand Trebble just fine?"

"Who?" Before I can answer there was loud boom and the ground began to shake with such a force that I could not keep my balance. I covered Shaymin with my body and covered my head and neck with my arms. Finally the shaking ceased and I came out of my position. Shaymin had curled into a ball underneath me and Casey had assumed the same position as I. We exchanged confused looks. Neither of us had a clue what had just happened.

"That's her! That's the girl who attacked me!" I suddenly realized what was happening. I couldn't hold back my enthusiasm for our lovely base user's return. That was sarcasm in case you didn't get that. I looked over at the base user and saw she had backup this time. Little girl had to hide behind her friends. No matter. From what I could observe, the two behind her were a fire type and and an electric type. I'm thinking a Raichu and a charizard but they were not full Pokemon so I could not tell.

The three of us split up, the Empoleon girl going for Casey, the charizard chick going for Shaymin, and the Raichu lady coming for me. I spun the trident and lunged for the base user. She punched me in the gut and sent me flying backwards. I gripped the trident and bit my tongue as I slammed back first into the trunk of a tree. I spat blood to the side as I slumped on the ground and didn't see the girl coming until she had me by the neck.

"Not so tough without your Shaymin are you now huh?" She said, crushing my wind pipe with each passing second. My lungs screamed in my ears as the oxygen inside of me ran out. My vision was starting to fray at its edges and in a last ditch effort to save myself, I tried to punch the Raichu girl. Then I realized that I was still holding the trident. I stabbed the girl in her shoulder with the trident. She screamed and reeled back, releasing me. I took a big gulp of air and began to cough as my lungs filled with sweet sweet oxygen.

I tilted my head so I could see my opponent. She was on the ground, trident still in her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. Shaymin was nimbly dodging the barrage of attacks the charizard gijinka was delivering. Guess being small can be a good thing. Casey, on the other hand, was handling this much like I was. Which translates to, we're getting our butts handed to us. And that doesn't fit so right with me.

A feeling of something red and hot began to bubble inside of me as I watched the fight in slow motion. I watched as the charizard girl got one good hit in and sent Shaymin sliding across the ground with her body in flames. I watched as Casey became distracted at the sight of Shaymin and I. I watched as the Empoleon girl took this opportunity and cold cocked him. Casey fell to the ground and she pounced on him. I recognized the emotion that began to take its hold on my mind. Rage boiled within in me and I suddenly had the strength to stand. I took a step forward and the ground began to shake. Everyone froze in confusion before magma spouts erupted from the earth. The Empoleon base user scrambled away from Casey and the eruptions set up as a barricade between us and those who wished to bring him harm. The girls fled quickly and the magma slowly seeped back into the ground. My knees gave out from beneath me and I fell to the ground, swallowed in darkness.

***

"Has someone ever done that before?" Quill asked, intrigued at this development.

"No." Dr. Mullins said, "Not without a base which she lacks." He smiled and chuckled. "I can see why the Greek Riders wanted her. She is more powerful than anything I have ever seen."

***

"Shayla?" I groaned a little as my name echoed in my head. It took me a moment to realize who the voice saying my name belonged to. It was Casey. Everything suddenly came flooding back and my eyes snapped open. I started to sit up but Casey pushed me down.

"Shaymin!"

"What she said." Casey added, "Just wait a few more minutes. That seemed to take a lot out of you."

"But what did I do?" I asked. I was so confused. The earth erupted when I got mad. Had it really reacted to my emotions? No way. I don't have a base yet. I couldn't have done that. Could I?

"I…" Casey sighed and bit his lip. "I'm not sure. I think you did it because Shaymin and I didn't do it. We just assumed you somehow used Earth Power."

"Like the pokemon move?"

"Exactly."

"But I have no base. This is my base test. How can I use a move without a base?"

"Is it possible you already have one?"

"No. Not a chance."

We lapsed into silence at my negation of his theory. But the facts were still there. I wasn't your normal human being. I somehow could tap into a base I didn't have yet. No one else had ever done it. So why could I?

Finally Casey stood up. He offered his hand to me and I took it. He helped me stand up and I picked up Shaymin. We resumed our trek. Then it hit me. I didn't have a clue as to where I was supposed to be going. Oh well. Straight was better than nothing I suppose. Worse case… I wasn't truly sure. Ask a tree for directions? Meh. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that had occurred these past two days. So we walked. And we walked. And we walked a little more. And we walked some more. And we kept walking. Slowly the sun began to sink and the sky began to turn orange. My stomach growled a little bit and I sighed. We weren't making any progress. I wasn't sure was to do.

"We should find shelter soon." Casey said. I nodded and added,

"Food and water as well." Casey began to search around us. Finally he settled on a large patch of tangled grass. He walked over to it and cracked his knuckles.

"Alright. Let's see if this still works." Casey said. He held his hands out to the tangled grass patch and his hands began to glow green. The patch of grass glowed in response and slowly opened. After a minute, both sets of glowing ceased. Casey ducked inside the opening for a minute before coming back out. "Looks good enough to me. Come on in." He said. I ducked inside after Casey and gasped. This place was a lot bigger on the inside than it appeared. Grass made up the walls but the floor was all twigs tied together to make a solid floor. The entrance closed behind us. Casey touched the wall and three beds made of leaves grew from the floor, each custom to the user. When he finished, Casey looked to me. "Is this ok?"

"Yes. But what about food and water?" Casey nodded and touched the wall again. Berries began to grow from the walls and a small spring bubbled up from part of the floor. Another hole opened in the floor on the opposite side of the room from the spring. When I have Casey a confused look he just shrugged and said,

"We all have the need." I frowned but I understood what he meant. Slowly twigs and leaves grew around the hole so that whomever needed to use it had some privacy which was better than nothing I guess. With that taken care of, Casey stopped doing whatever he was doing and looked over the bush.

"What move is that?" I asked.

"Secret power." Casey replied, "Allows me to do these kind of things in certain bushes, trees, and mountains. Cool huh?"

"Very useful." I agreed. I picked one of the berries from the wall and chewed it. It tasted great. I watched as Casey went to the spring and took a drink before heading to the hole. I picked a few more berries then laid down on my bed. I ate them while staring at the ceiling, my mind beginning to wander. I couldn't help but wonder what everyone else was doing. Was time only passing here or was it passing there too? So many unanswerable questions flew through my mind I lost count of how many very quickly.

"What's it like being a gijinka?" I asked quietly. Casey looked over at me from his bed. He then stared at the ceiling, pondering my question. He shrugged and sighed. I could tell he wasn't sure how to answer.

"It's odd. Especially when you're a grunt gijinka."

"How so?"

"Well, grunts have their memories wiped when they are made Gijinkas so we don't rebel against the admins and such. Most grunts act like mindless drones because of this."

"You don't though."

"No. I don't."

"Why?" Casey but the inside of his cheek and continued to focus on the ceiling.

"There was a glitch in the system." He said. Casey took a deep breath and began to tell me a story.